Utah Police Officer Steps Up When He Sees Father In Need

By: Alexander Burns | February 13, 2018

More often than not, when a parent sees a fellow father or mother struggling, they will be more than willing to offer a helping hand. This exact scenario recently played out in Utah County Courthouse in Orem, Utah.

When he was called to appear at the Utah County Courthouse – for a minor traffic violation – Jose Moncayo immediately started hunting for a babysitter to take care of his 2-year-old daughter, Abi, while he was away.

However, by the time he was due for his court appearance, Mr. Moncayo hadn’t been able to track down a suitable sitter.

With no other option available, Mr. Moncayo decided to take Abi with him to court. While waiting in the halls of Utah County Courthouse, Mr. Moncayo mulled over his options, calling nearby daycare centers and asking friends if they were free.

Unfortunately, none of these options ended up being viable and Mr. Moncayo began to fear that he would have to skip Court.

Mr. Moncayo knew that he couldn’t just lave Abi alone in the courthouse and there was no childminding service in the building. While Abi was playing around in the courthouse, Mr. Moncayo received the call to enter the courtroom.

As the worried father tried to explain his situation, a kind-hearted Orem police officer stepped in to rectify the situation.

The police officer in question, Kevin Norris, approached Mr. Moncayo and told him that he could babysit Abi while her father appeared before Court. Officer Norris had been waiting in the courthouse to give a testimony and had noticed the young girl playing in the normally somber halls.

Mr. Moncayo gratefully accepted the police officer’s generous offer, and later told local media what Officer Norris had done.

“I’ve got kids myself,” Officer Norris said when approached by 2News. “I know what it is to have rambunctious kids, and it’s hard to take them anywhere."

"We’re not just officers who are out there to arrest people,” Officer Norris added. “We’re out there to make our community a better place.”

While Mr. Moncayo was testifying in Court, Officer Norris spent time showing Abi around the courthouse. After Officer Norris saw some of his colleagues, Abi even got a few treats and a big drink of water.

By the time Mr. Moncayo returned to the courthouse halls, he found his daughter watching cartoons on Officer Norris’ phone. After her big day at Court, Abi was obviously tired, leaning against officer Norris and nodding off to sleep.

Touched by Officer Norris’ patience and selflessness, Mr. Moncayo thanked him profusely and subsequently took to social media to thank the compassionate police officer.

A Shareably report on the incident has also gone viral, receiving more than 6000 shares on Facebook.

Given the recent accusations (of police brutality and racism) levelled against certain U.S. police departments, the incident at Utah County Courthouse has reminded people across the country that so much of the work done by the authorities goes unnoticed.